Hellslinger Phantom

A malevolent specter born of Cryxian magic, the Hellslinger Phantom bears a striking resemblance to the Cygnaran warcaster Allister Caine, and rumors suggest it was made from a sliver of his very soul. The Hellslinger Phantom mimics Caine’s style on the battlefield, firing runeshots akin to the ones employed by gun mages. First spotted in a remote town in northern Cygnar, the phantom slaughtered a large number of innocent civilians, and now every day it roams free, the body count grows. Template:TOCbox

Basic Info

Abilities

• Template:Gunfighter
• Template:Incorporeal
• Template:Undead
• Template:Body Count
  • Template:Strength of Death
• Template:Swift Hunter

Weapons

• Wraithstorm Pistol (x2) - 10" range, POW 12 ranged attacks
  • Template:Magical Damage
  • Template:Attack Type
    • Template:Critical Grievous Wounds
    • Template:Ghost Shot
    • Template:Incendiary
  • Template:Reload 1

Theme Forces

• Cryx
  • Template:Ghost Fleet
  • Template:Infernal Machines

• Other Factions
  • Infernal players can use this model in the Template:Hearts of Darkness theme, but only if Mortenebra is leading the army.

Thoughts on Hellslinger Phantom

Hellslinger Phantom in a Nutshell

The Hellslinger is a character Pistol Wraith that excels at either killing infantry and/or hunting enemy solos. In comparison to a standard Pistol Wraith it costs +2 points, has +1 RAT, DEF & ARM, swaps Death Chill for Attack Types and gains Reload and Swift Hunter.

Much of what is said about Pistol Wraiths still holds true for the Hellslinger - it's a fragile piece best used near the flanks to limit how many models can retaliate against it when it's corporeal, and if you can get some souls on it then it goes from being dangerous to deadly.

Where the Hellslinger differentiates itself, however, is:

• Having a better statline mean it's plain old fashioned better at its job than a Pistol Wraith.
• Losing the Death Chill mean it goes from being a quasi-board control solo and into a straight-up combat solo
• Combining Ghost Shot with Swift Hunter makes it easier to keep alive while corporeal
• Since it's easier to keep alive, it's easier to get the "soul train" going. Then it'll start pumping out 4 shots a turn *drools*

Combos & Synergies

• Rahera1 and Skarre2 have the Black Spot spell which can potentially allow the Hellslinger to shoot 8 times a turn.
• Deneghra2 can use her feat to make it Incorporeal again after attacking.
• Soul Trappers can potentially load it up with souls before it activates. Just watch out for board position and soul priority rules. If the soul trapper is closer to the Hellslinger's target, the soul will go to the trapper not the Hellslinger.

Drawbacks & Downsides

• Anything that ignores Incorporeal - stay away from enemy arc nodes! These days people bring a fair amount of anti-incorporeal tech without even really intending to.
• After attacking, it is ripe for retaliation - if you left unspent soul tokens on him after an attack, it rarely lives to spend it next turn.
• He needs to be the closest eligible Soul Taker to get the soul. Also, many Archons shut down long-range soul collection.
• He competes with Ol' Grim for the role of "Incorporeal ranged-combat solo with 2 shots per turn".
  • If you want a model that stays safer over multiple turns, use Hellslinger (Ghost Shot from behind LOS-blocking terrain).
  • If you want a model that reaches out and touches something a long way away, take Ol' Grim (22" threat range on his gun).
• Cannot be taken as a free Requisition option.
• He compares unfavourably to the Mercenary solo Harlowe, which leaves a sour taste in Cryx players' mouths.
• Range 10" is rather puny for ranged combat solos. It has no native Reposition either, but has to make due with Swift Hunter which punishes misses.

Tricks & Tips

• The Reload [1] rule is on both pistols, which means he can reload twice (once per gun).
• Normally you get to ignore terrain while moving, but if you start shooting and triggering Swift Hunter then those moves will not ignore terrain.
• Gunfighter + charging + reload is ... complicated (let alone if you start introducing free attacks via Black Spot). There is a detailed explanation on the Gunfighter article, but basically:
  • If you charge an enemy model, both your initial ranged attacks must be made vs models in your melee range. If there is only one model in range, you waste your second shot.
  • However, bought attacks can be made vs anyone in range. So if you kill everyone in your melee range with your first two attacks, you've essentially added +3" to the range of your 3rd and 4th attack.
• While in Incorporeal form, feel free to advance to the back arc of your enemies, and let loose those shots from there for extra accuracy. Watch out for magic free strikes though.

Other

Trivia

• Released 2017.03